(a) Program authority

The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as the “Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program” that shall be designed to provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for doctoral study.

(b) Required services

A project assisted under this section shall provide—

(1) opportunities for research or other scholarly activities at the institution or at graduate centers designed to provide students with effective preparation for doctoral study;

(2) summer internships;

(3) seminars and other educational activities designed to prepare students for doctoral study;

(4) tutoring;

(5) academic counseling; and

(6) activities designed to assist students participating in the project in securing admission to and financial assistance for enrollment in graduate programs.

(c) Permissible services

A project assisted under this section may provide services such as—

(1) education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students, including financial planning for postsecondary education;

(2) mentoring programs involving faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and

(3) exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.

(d) Requirements

In approving applications for projects assisted under this section for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall require—

(1) an assurance that not less than two-thirds of the individuals participating in the project proposed to be carried out under any application be low-income individuals who are first generation college students;

(2) an assurance that the remaining persons participating in the project proposed to be carried out be from a group that is underrepresented in graduate education, including—

(A) Alaska Natives, as defined in section 7546 of this title;

(B) Native Hawaiians, as defined in section 7517 of this title; and

(C) Native American Pacific Islanders, as defined in section 1059g of this title;

(3) an assurance that participants be enrolled in a degree program at an eligible institution having an agreement with the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of section 1094 of this title; and

(4) an assurance that participants in summer research internships have completed their sophomore year in postsecondary education.

(e) Award considerations

In addition to such other selection criteria as may be prescribed by regulations, the Secretary shall consider in making awards to institutions under this section—

(1) the quality of research and other scholarly activities in which students will be involved;

(2) the level of faculty involvement in the project and the description of the research in which students will be involved; and

(3) the institution’s plan for identifying and recruiting participants including students enrolled in projects authorized under this section.

(f) Maximum stipends

Students participating in research under a project under this section may receive an award that—

(1) shall include a stipend not to exceed $2,800 per annum; and

(2) may include, in addition, the costs of summer tuition, summer room and board, and transportation to summer programs.

(g) Funding

From amounts appropriated pursuant to the authority of section 1070a-11(g) of this title, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, allocate funds for projects authorized by this section in an amount which is not less than $11,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2014.